Re: teraforming mars

The comet impacts would not only melt the poles but add their own water mass
to the environment as well. If we were to employ nuclear weapons to melt the
poles there would be the side effect of a radioactive "dead zone" which
could last for millenia (if not longer). At the very least we would
introduce radioactive fallout into the Martian environment, since at the
heart of any H bomb there is a Plutonium or Uranium trigger that would leave
some "dirty" effects behind.

Teh important thing to do is ADD water to Mars so you could use it to help
thicken the atmosphere when it evaporates.

When an atmosphere of CO2 reached a barometric level simmilar to the high
alpine regions of earth high altitude connifers could be planted adn start
the CO2 - O2 cycle as the factories and humans continued to produce CO2.
Eventually the humans would be able to venture out onto the Martian surface
with less and less protective equipment. They could go from full pressure
and temperature suits at the start of the program to low pressure thermal
suits within a few decades and then within 200 years people could walk on
the surface without any protection at all, except durring winter.